ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pop — soda
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. club — for golf
  14. spring — of water
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pound — for dogs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com